Rieko Nakagawa is a Japanese children's literature writer and lyricist. Her first work, Iyayaen, was published in 1962, and she has published over 30 books since then. She has won multiple awards for her works, including the Kikuchi Kan Prize. She wrote the lyrics for the opening theme song for the 1988 Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro as well as to another song used in the film. She has written the lyrics for over 20 other songs, including "Yūki" sung by Mana Ashida for the 81st NHK All Japan School Singing Competition.
Personal life
Rieko Ōmura was born September 29, 1935, in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. When she was four years old, her family moved in with her grandfather in Tokyo, where she lived until she was in the third year of grade school. Her family then moved back to Sapporo for a short time before being evacuated at the end of World War II. Her father was transferred to Fukushima, where she lived until moving back to Tokyo during her second year of high school. She graduated from the Tokyo Metropolitan High School Nursery School Academy
Professional life
While working as a nursery school worker, she wrote No-No Academy. In 1962, this book won the Minister of Health and Welfare Award, the Sankei Juvenile Publications Culture Award, the Noma Juvenile Cultural Arts Recommended Work Prize and the NHK Juvenile LiteratureHonorable Mention. Her 1980 book, Rock the Puppy Is Here was awarded the Mainichi Publishing Culture Award. The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature awarded the Kikuchi Kan Prize jointly with Yuriko Yamawaki for their children's book seriesGuri and Gura. Nakagawa and Yamawaki have collaborated on many projects since that time, including on additional volumes in the Guri and Gura series, as well as works like Sora Iro no Tane and The Peach-Colored Giraffe. Nakagawa has written a number of essays. She also wrote lyrics for multiple songs for the 1988 Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro, including Sanpo and Maigo. She wrote the lyrics for the song "Yūki" sung by Mana Ashida, which was released as a single with "Fight!!" in 2014. "Yūki" was the theme song for the 81st NHK All Japan School Singing Competition in the elementary school group.
Works
Children's books
Guri and Gura series
This series has been published since 1967 by Fukuinkan Shoten. All of the books are illustrated by Yuriko Yamawaki, though the first book is credited to Yuriko Ōmura. Several of these titles have been released in English, Korean, and other languages.
